Who knew: Questions answered by the Columbus Metropolitan Library

On the first Saturday of each month, Life & Arts taps into the many questions received and
answered by the staff of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

A sampling:

Q: How do a cold and the flu differ?

A: Both are caused by viruses. The common cold, yielding a variety of symptoms in
the upper respiratory tract, is triggered by any of more than 200 viruses — but usually a
rhinovirus, which is blamed for 10 to 40 percent of colds. A cold is caught through an infected
person, usually by touching a surface contaminated with cold germs, then touching the nose or
mouth; or encountering secretions sneezed into the air. The symptoms of a cold include watery eyes,
nasal congestion, mucus drainage and a sore or itchy throat; more severe symptoms, such as muscle
aches and a high fever, indicate the flu. Influenza, a contagious respiratory infection, is also
caused by various viruses — which likewise enter the body through the mucous membranes of the nose,
eyes or mouth.

A: The modern game of baseball is traced to the British game of rounders in the
first half of the 19th century. Alexander Cartwright of New York formulated the basic rules of
baseball in 1845, with a smaller hard ball replacing the soft ball used in rounders. An official
major-league baseball is made of a round, cushioned cork-and-rubber center called a “pill,” wrapped
tightly in wool and polyester-cotton yarn, and covered by stitched cowhide; it weighs 5 to 5.25
ounces and has a circumference of 9 to 9.25 inches.